poblano peppers stuffed with Italian eggplant, anchovy and pepitas

This recipe is based upon one from Marcella Hazan’s Marcella Cucina. I really love her food. And she sounds like quite a firecracker too. I’ve read somewhere that she’s a big fan of bourbon. Anyone who can cook that well and loves bourbon is alright in my book. I’ve a copy of her autobiography, Amarcord: Marcella Remembers, somewhere around here. I really need to find it soon.

poblano peppers stuffed with Italian eggplant, anchovy and pepitas

Her recipe uses yellow or red bell peppers and she makes a big point of having you char and remove the outer membrane. I’ve done that several times, but it is a nightmare. Though I have to agree, it makes the final dish more tender, I don’t think that the effort is worth it. Instead, I’ve steamed my peppers, like I did for the poblanos and reds stuffed with saffron rice.

As to the poblano versus the bell, I remain of the opinion that poblanos simply taste better whereas bells just taste sweet. To each cook his or her own, I suppose. I added pepitas for a bit of crunch and it seems to match the peppers well. I did have two small reds, which I also stuffed. Oddly, these two ended up being leftovers after Hegui and I gorged on the smokier Mexican peppers.

Cut eggplant into about ½ inch dice. Toss with ample salt in a colander. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Fry in vegetable oil until translucent and soft. Remove from oil to large bowl.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut poblano peppers in half and remove seeds and ribs. If using bell peppers, carefully cut tops off and remove seeds and ribs. Steam for ten minutes. Remove from heat and run under cold water to cool.

Toast pepitas in dry pan until slightly browned and popping. Set aside.

The peppers look terrific! It does sound like Mrs. Hazan was quite the firebrand. Kim Severson’s Spoon Fed has a great story about her and it’s true to the stereotype. Have a fabulous 4th!Shelley recently posted..Blueberry and Peach Sour Cream Cobbler

I am also a fan of Marcella’s and used almost all her recipes in her Classic Italian cookbook and got my mother to buy the book as well (she needed to cook Italian for my dad who has Italian blodd); in any case, I did not know of this dish and I love it! Love poblanos, and love eggplants and the two combined sound heavenly. Why do you not like the charring part? It is not hard, just throw them in a ziploc with some water and that’s it~tasteofbeirut recently posted..Tomato croustade

Stevie, you and Heguiberto are becoming my go-to guys for great vegetarian recipes. Now that summer has decided to arrive and the garden in cooperating, I’m looking for new ways to showcase my veggies. I love the green bean and black bean sauce recipe too!Tall Clover Farm recently posted..Vashon Island: One Day I Drifted Ashore…